In the search for agility and speed, creativity and difference, organisations are focusing on the power of teams. Here, in an extract from his new book “Business Recoded: Have the courage to create a better future” Peter Fisk explores how extreme teams are the future of work.  Richie McCaw, the former captain of New Zealand’s “All Blacks”, is regarded by many as the greatest rugby player of all time. His teams won a remarkable 89% of their 110 matches in which he was their leader, including two World Cups. He even played through one cup final with a broken foot, knowing that he was a ..read more

In nature, few complex systems are organised through hierarchies. We need to develop businesses that are living, adaptive, “collectively conscious” organisations. In an extract from his new book “Business Recoded: Have the courage to create a better future”, Peter Fisk explores the future of organisations.  Qingdao is the home of Haier, the world’s leading home appliances business. Over the years, the company’s CEO Zhang Ruimin has become an innovator not only of washing machines and refrigerators, but of organisations and entrepreneurship too. Once a devotee of the “six sigma” approach ..read more

When the CEO of Santander stood up and asked employees “How can Paypal have become 4 times more valuable than our bank?” there was an embarrassed silence. It’s 3 time larger than HSBC, and as valuable as BOA, and exceeds most investment banks too. Visa is much bigger, twice as valuable as Paypal. What’s the future of banking, insurance and money? In a world of rapid and relentless change, financial services have become the laggards of change. While Tesla transforms mobility, Impossible reimagines food, and NextEra ignites clean energy, most of the large financial service companies have stayed ..read more

Every market has been shaken-up by the seismic shifts in consumer behaviour, global economics and emergent technology. How we live, work and learn, shop and socialise. The Covid pandemic has simply accelerated this transformation, maybe by 10 years in just 12 months. Markets are blurred, borderless and hybrid – physical and digital, but also fusing geographies and sectors. Retail is socialised, sports are gamified, transport is integrated as mobility, and every company is a technology company. Payments are digital, entertainment is on demand, fashion is sampled virtually, healthcare is recast ..read more

CMOs should make the best CEOs. Marketers have a deep understanding of markets, how the future is emerging, what the customers of today and tomorrow are demanding, how competitors are evolving, and therefore what it will take to drive future innovation and growth. Yet only 11% of CEOs come from a marketing-related background, far behind those who were CFOs or COOs. Finance and operations matter, but they don’t move the organisation forwards. Too many marketers get caught up in the tactics – perfecting the creative execution of advertising, debating the intricacies of price changes, ensuring th ..read more

Across the world, markets are being dramatically shaken-up. There’s a new order in almost every sector, not just because of technological innovation, but also because of the seismic shift in power towards Asia, a new generation of young people with different value, the critical issues facing us all environmentally and  socially. And then there was the disruption of a global pandemic, which challenged the resilience of everyone, but also accelerated consumer change, in some cases decades of change in a year. Now the future is different. Social attitudes and digital behaviour ..read more

As part of the Business Recoded project, and my new book, I profile one of the most inspiring business leaders shaking up today’s world. He embraces the opportunities of relentless change, the power of disruptive technologies, and the courage to create a better future in his own vision. In the book, I explore the stories of many of the world’s most fascinating leaders right now, and develop 49 codes that help you redefine the future of your business, and yourself. The Leadership Code of Tobi Lütke  Shopify is taking the world’s retailers online. As the world locked down amidst p ..read more

The United Arab Emirates is taking an innovative approach to address 21st century challenges. The UAE was ranked as the number one environment for innovation in the Arab World, according to the Global Innovation Index, a has been for the last five straight years.The country’s National Innovation Strategy, announced in 2014, encourages new thinking and groundbreaking solutions in seven priority sectors, with UAE youth playing a leading role in driving innovation. The UAE’s Minister of State for Advanced Technology Sara Al Amiri and Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence Omar A ..read more

Covid-19 has prompted a rapid shift away from office working to home working. Now, as companies look beyond the pandemic, many are deciding whether to bring employees back to offices or allow them to stay at home. But it’s not just about where to work. A year of working from home, juggling childcare when schools were closed, avoiding the stress of commutes, and the cost of inner city real estate, has prompted many businesses to look again at the traditional working week, and some to fundamentally reimagine how they work. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg predicted 50% of his people could be work ..read more

“What it Takes” is the memoir of Steve Schwarzman, cofounder and CEO of Blackstone, one of the world’s largest investment firms. He talks about why leaders need clarity of purpose, to dare to think big, and realise the profound impact of AI. One of his favourite sayings is that “it is just as easy to do something big as it is to do something small”. Schwarzman grew up in an entrepreneurial family selling curtains in Philadelphia. His father was content with owning one store, but Steve was not. He had more ambition. At high school he wanted to bring the best bands to play. At college ..read more